The Rock Hard Coast Sea Swim
Sat 30 Aug 2025 Kingsbridge, Devon, UK

The Rock Hard Coast Sea Swim

A supported half-a-mile or one-mile sea swim, ideal for people new to sea swimming, from South Milton Sands, with a full safety team and part of the Something Wild Festival Weekend.

  • Sat 30 Aug 2025
South Milton Sands, Kingsbridge > South Milton Sands, Kingsbridge

The Rock Hard Coast Sea Swim

12:00

Age 16 & over

£40

  • 1.5 miles sea swimming

Overview

The Something Wild Festival has the stunning venue of Hope Cove and the South West Coast path once again!

The trail races follow favourite routes between Salcombe and Aveton Gifford, with Outer Hope Cove at the heart of the festival weekend.

With its own luscious camping field just a stone's throw from the idyllic Hope Cove, the races are within view of the campsite, offering the perfect vantage point to spectators and family members. The festival site is also the fulcrum for the trail running and swim run events.

runners

Highlights

  • An annual festival - now in its 11th year!
  • Wonderful venue and routes
  • Scenery of the Avon and Salcombe estuaries
  • Some of the best sections of the SW Coast Path
  • Full weekend itinerary, or event-only
  • Camping, music, local food and beer
  • Live acoustic guitar music around the campfire
  • Expert speakers line-up
  • Family-friendly with kids runs and forest schools

This event is part of Something Wild Festival.

  • All fitness levels
  • Dogs allowed
  • Event village
  • Families
  • Newcomers
  • Spectators
  • Teams
  • Traders at event

2025 details to be confirmed.

Weekend itinerary

Such a great value weekend with so much included! The 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra, SwimRuns and the Rock Hard Coast Sea Swim events may be booked separately and are at an additional cost. Everything else is included in your Weekend Festival ticket!

campfire

Friday

  • 15:00 | Festival opens
  • 17:00 | Event registration opens
  • 17:00 | Festival cafe and bar opens for the weekend (all diets catered for)
  • 18:00 | Guided evening run (for all ages and abilities including families) 
  • 19:00 | Evening with speakers begins + film night for kids in an adjacent tent
  • 21:00 | Guided night run (for all ages and abilities including families)
Listen to inspirational speakers whilst the children are entertained
LISTEN TO INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS
Children can have film night in an adjacent tent.

Saturday

  • 09:00 | Event registration opens for 5K and 10K
  • 09:00 | Guided run and movement session with movement maestro, Jo Kelly
  • Morning yoga too
  • 10:00 | 5K and 10K runs start
  • 10:00 - 12:00 | Forest Schools
  • 10:00 | Event registration opens for SwimRuns and the Rock Hard Coast Swim (South Milton Beach)
  • 12:30 | Rock Hard Coast Sea Swim starts
  • 13:30 | SwimRuns start (short, medium, long)
  • 13:30 - 15:30 | Forest Schools
  • 16:00 | Kids races start in festival field (under 8s and 8-12 years)
  • 19:30 | Speakers evening at the Reading Rooms
  • 19:00 | Music, bar and campfires at the festival site in the festival tent
  • 21:00 | Live music
Kids races
KIDS RACES
Included with your weekend festival ticket!

Sunday

  • 08:00 | Marathon and Ultra start
  • 10:00 | Half Marathon start
  • Forest Schools in the morning
  • Forest Schools in the afternoon
  • 17:30 | Presentation evening
  • 18:00 | Site closes

Kids

The Something Wild Festival is super family-friendly so come and make a weekend of it! There are plenty of activities throughout the weekend including kids races, forest schools, fun food and drinks bar, film night, outdoor yoga, walks, book swap and Capture the Flag too!

family

Walkers

There will be guided walks as part of your Weekend Festival ticket however you are also welcome to walk the 5K, 10K and Half Marathon events.

Dogs

Well-behaved dogs on leads are allowed and you can also run with your dog on a harness as per canicross rules of the Trail Running Association.

  • Accommodation
  • Bar
  • Cafe
  • Camping
  • Coast
  • Entertainment
  • Free parking
  • Music
  • Rural
  • Showers
  • Toilets

Event HQ

Hope Cove
Kingsbridge
Devon
TQ7 3HW
UK

Festival site

The farmer has kindly given access to his fields, overlooking the idyllic Hope Cove, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better location to wake up to in the south west. It is close to ideal swimming spots in Hope Cove, East Soar and Bantham Bay.

This year, there will be a camp village and festival village, which will be clearly separated to allow flow and easy access and there'll be two lovely venues for the speakers evening!

Stunning sea views

Campsite

The campsite is suitable for up to 50 tents, parking and camper vans, as well as and serving as the base for all the trail events, which is an ideal vantage point for spectators.

This year there will be extra toilet facilities and basic shower facilities.

Other accommodation

If camping isn’t your thing, there are plenty of Air BNB places around Hope Cove and the South Hams. Burton Farm is perhaps the nearest, as the farmer owns the festival fields. It’s a charming restored 15th century farmhouse, set among 325 acres.

Parking

Parking is available at the campsite for £10.

  • First aid
  • Marshals
  • No cut off time
  • Single start
  • Way markers

This sea swimming event is part of the Something Wild Festival which has a fantastic new venue close to the sea, overlooking the idyllic Hope Cove. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better location to wake up to in the south west. Swimmers will be close to a range of ideal swimming spots in Hope Cove, East Soar and Bantham Bay, to help make a full weekend of the event.

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Start location

The Rock Hard Coast Sea Swim starts at South Milton Sands, which is a 15-20 minute walk from the festival camping at Hope Cove.

Kit check

There will be a mandatory equipment check at registration and here's the kit list. If participating as a pair, some items are one per pair:

  • Wetsuit/tri suit/swimrun suit (suitable for water temperature of minimum 14 degrees C)
  • Pair goggles
  • Off road trainers
  • Whistle
  • Hydration system, soft bottle or cup
  • Tow buoy (one per pair or one for solos)
  • Emergency food
  • Β£20 in sealed bag
  • Swim cap (provided)
  • Race chip/tracker (provided)
  • Extra emergency food (strongly recommended)
  • Mobile phone in waterproof case (strongly recommended)

 

Sustainability

  • Bring your own cup
  • Plastic bottle free
  • Recycling

  • Chip timing
  • Medal

Included

  • Electronic chip timing
  • Swim cap
  • Fully supported course with on-water safety
  • Finisher’s medal for all
  • 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals in each of the three age categories 

  • Age 16 & over
  • 50 places
  • Entries open
  • Collect race pack
  • Enter online

Entry fees

Entry fee

£40.00

I thoroughly enjoyed this whole weekend experience, adding in wild camping was a plus. I went with my two children who could stay in the forest school sessions arranged while I was out running! They loved it. I did the 10k run which was stunning along the coastline and back through lanes and over fields. Very community good-feel event with a fire pit and music on one evening. Highly recommend. My kids want to go back next year! (Maria Wilhelmsson)

Swimmer

Other races at event

  • Fri 29 Aug - Mon 1 Sep 2025
  • #1 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Something Wild Festival Weekend Tickets

16:00

All ages

£40-£55

  • 3 days trail running
  • Sat 30 Aug 2025
  • #2 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

5K Run

10:00

Age 11 & over

£20

  • 5 km trail running
  • Sat 30 Aug 2025
  • #3 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

10K Run

10:00

Age 15 & over

£25

  • 10 km trail running
  • Sun 31 Aug 2025
  • #5 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Rocky Horror SwimRun | Short

13:30

Age 16 & over

£28-£35

  • 1000 m sea swimming
  • 6 miles trail running
  • Sun 31 Aug 2025
  • #6 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Rocky Horror SwimRun | Medium

13:30

Age 16 & over

£35-£40

  • 1500 m sea swimming
  • 12 miles trail running
  • Sun 31 Aug 2025
  • #7 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Rocky Horror SwimRun | Long

13:30

Age 16 & over

£40-£55

  • 2000 m sea swimming
  • 15 miles trail running
  • Sun 31 Aug 2025
  • #8 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Marathon

08:00

Age 18 & over

£40

  • 26.2 miles trail running
  • Sun 31 Aug 2025
  • #9 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Summit Wild Ultra

08:00

Age 18 & over

£55

  • 50 km trail running
  • Sun 31 Aug 2025
  • #10 of 10
Hope Cove, Kingsbridge

Half Marathon

10:00

Age 17 & over

£30

  • 13.1 miles trail running
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